A Puppeteer's Destiny
by OoItadakimasuoO
Summary: He sighed. Why was he called here? What did HE possibly have to say to him? "Sorry, I'll make it up to you for almost killing your brother!" Hell no!The day he, Sabaku no Kankurou, forgave Akasuna no Sasori, was on his damn death bed. Rated for language
1. Chapter 1: The Elders

Hey, all!

As I'm sure most of you can guess (Hopefully not) I am totally new to the whole fan fiction thing.

I decided to make my first fic about Kankurou, because he is the most awesome of awesome characters in all of the fire nation. (Nerd spasm)

Anyway, since I'm new here, there may be _some_ jumping around... _BARE WITH ME!_

Anyway, read it, review it, love it. xD

* * *

Soft_ click_ing noisescould be heard from inside the main hallway of the Sunagakure penitentiary. The maker of the noise slowly felt his way down the hall, into another, smaller, corridor. He had to literally _feel _his way, because of the blinding darkness all around him. As he continued on, his mind began to wander, as it usually did in these situations. Why had he been called here? He wondered. And why at this time of night? And more importantly, Why had he been ordered to come alone?... Yet, _most_ importantly… Why in Kami's name did it have to be… _Him_?

He rounded a short corner, and immediately came upon a door marked: _Criminally Insane. _He held his breath, imagining that this was some sort of dream… One where he'd wake up the minute he opened the door, now only a foot or so way... And grabbed the handle. _Here goes everything._

As the door crept open, it made soft creaking noises. The type of noises a door might make if the hinges hadn't been oiled in a very long time. The type of noises… Well… The type of noises a _puppet _might make as it's long, wooden arms slowly crept around your throat… Strangling you… Making it so you couldn't breath an ounce of that precious oxygen all around you. You know its there… All around you… Yet you can't get it into you lungs… Your fiery, aching lungs. Until…. Until………

* * *

**[Three days earlier]**

_Snap!_

…….

_Snap! Snap! Snap!_

…

"C'mon Kankurou-san!!"

_Snap! Snap!_

"Kankurou-saaan!! Waake uuuup!"

The young puppeteer's eyes fluttered open silently. He tried to focus on what was making that damned snapping sound, when his sensitive pupils were suddenly filled with the stinging light inside of his bedroom.

"Kankurou-saaaan!!" He heard his waker's voice, and he realized she was clapping her hands together. "Temari-sama told me to wake you at 6:00, and its already 6:01!! Do you _want _me to lose my job?!"

The elder brother of the kazekage tried drowsily to sit up, but found he was too sleep induced to do so. Instead, he gave up, and grabbed for his pillow. He needed something to guard against that damned toxic light.

"Kankurou-san! Oneeegaiii!!!"

He felt an ice cold hand grip his wrist before he was able to locate his pillow.

"Wake… UP!"

The hand got tighter, and the nails began to dig into his flesh. He yelped, and struggled out of his sleep induced coma.

"G-Godamnit Kinata!!" He slowly shrugged off the sleepiness. "I told you about a thousand damned times!!"

He wrestled free of the grip, and stuck his tongue at his waker. Her name was Kinata, and although she preferred not to be called so, she was his and Temari's maid. Whenever confronted on the subject, she would violently deny it, saying: _'I am most certainly not a maid…! Why… Why… I'm more of a… Well… Sister-for-hire!'_ She would then nod her head violently, as if this made her statement a fact, and then continue on with her duties, before the other person could make a comeback on the subject.

"I told you to let me sleep until 10:00 from now on!!"

Silence, then:

"But Kankurou-san… I would _love_ to let you sleep…" Was that sarcasm in her voice? "But Temari-sama told me to wake you at _6:00_… And she _is _your senior…"

The young puppeteer's hands grew into fists, and he suddenly bolted upright.

"Damnit!!!"

He threw his hands up into the air, as if to suddenly grab at the girl in front of him. When she flinched away, he smirked.

"Tch. You think just because Temari's older, she can tell me what to do?!"

He got closer to the girl, until his face was within a few inches from her's. The sense of tenseness coming from her made him grin, and his right hand slowly made its way up from next to him on the bed.

"N-No, I d-d-don't think that, Kankurou-sama…" She eyed his hand warily. "B-But I d-d-d-don't wanna loose my j-job…! If Temari were to find out that I-"

Suddenly, his right hand shot up, into her face. He watched with amusement as she tried to scream, but couldn't. She closed her eyes, afraid to open them… Until… Suddenly she felt his finger poke her forehead lightly. She slowly opened her eyes to find him grinning wolfishly.

"Gotcha'"

She stared back at him for kami knew how long, until he chuckled and shook his head.

"Its called a joke, smart-one. Ever laughed once in your life?"

He continued to watch her watch him, until he got bored.

"What are you… In shock or something…?" He scratched his head lightly. "You didn't think I would _actually _attack you…"

Silence.

"Did you…?"

She continued to stare into nothingness.

…

"You're really weird… You know that?"

He pushed himself up, off the bed, and began out of the room.

"Oh, and before I forget..." He looked over his shoulder. She was still sitting there. "You need to come down and make me breakfast." His stomach growled to make his point. "I didn't have dinner last night due to a mission." He continued out into the hall, heading to the restroom. Perhaps a shower would to wake him up further.

* * *

After his shower, he lazily made his way down the stairway, into the joint kitchen. He called it the 'joint kitchen' because the apartment he and Temari shared was like two different houses, only joined by the same kitchen. People- Especially his friends- always told him how lucky he was to live in such a big place… He had always told himself he had earned it with his own money… But in a way, that was only half true. Yes, he and Temari both payed jointly for the place they called 'home'. But he knew that if he hadn't been the Kazekage's brother, there was no way the landlords of this place would even have thought to rent this it out to the likes of him.

As the puppeteer slowly made his way across the rather large room, he noticed that both Temari and Kinata were there as well. He made note of Temari's face. Anger.

_Shit… Did Kinata tell her I tried to attack her or something…?!_

He awkwardly nodded to his older sister before pulling a chair out from the table. He just as awkwardly sat down.

Warily, he watched Temari watch him. This continued until the silence got so dense, he absolutely _had _to break it. He opened his mouth to speak, but Temari spoke first.

"Damnit Kankurou!"

He watched as her face went from mild anger to full fledged rage.

_Holy hell! What did she say, I tried to rape her?!_

She continued:

"I _told_ Kinata to wake you at 6:00! She says she did."

He nodded. Yes, that much was true.

"So, why, then, is the time now 7:30?!"

He heard her foot tap lightly on the tile floor. She always seemed to do this when she was angry, and it got to the point where he would curse the second he heard that infernal noise.

"Er…" He searched for the right words. He needed to smoothly talk his way out of this.

"Ehm… Uh… Well… You know… I didn't… I mean… _She_ was the one…. Uh… Huh?"

He chuckled nervously. _SHIT… THAT could have gone better._

His elder sister blinked once, then twice. He studied her face, and realized the anger had gone. Instead, there was total confusement.

"Uh… Well… Okay then, Kankurou."

She looked at him the way someone would look at an insane person, and shook her head.

"The reason I wanted you awake so early," She began, as her face went from confused to serious, "… Was because the elders want to speak to you."

The young puppeteer had begun to drink the coffee Kinata had set in front of him, when suddenly he choked, and spat it back out.

_T…The ELDERS…?! They want to see… ME?!_

Temari looked confused again, and stood up. "Are you alright?" She asked, slight concern In her voice.

"W-WHY?!" He was able to choke out. "W-WHY DO T-THE ELDERS W-"

Before he could finish, she shook her head solemnly. "I don't know Kankurou…" She looked as though she was about to add something else, but instead, she just repeated, "I don't know."

* * *

On the way to the Kazekage's mansion for his meeting with the elders, Kankurou stopped to chat with a couple of his friends. He really didn't have only one group of friends. Instead, he usually just hang out with whoever seemed like his type of company, which of course, was the silent, laid back type.

"Wait… So the elders want to speak… To _YOU?!" _One of them asked. His eyes seemed to shift nervously every few seconds.

He nodded solemnly.

"Well… Do you know _why?!_" another one asked.

He shook his head just as solemnly.

"Holy crap…"

He watched them all take a few steps back, as though he had some disease that could spread at any moment.

"Well… Uh…" One of them started. "Good luck with that…" He was gone in two seconds.

The rest caught on, and within a few seconds the left as well. Eventually, he was alone.

He sighed, and continued his walk towards the mansion... And the elders...... And his fate. On the way, he wondered _Damn… Why do I even HAVE friends…?!_

* * *

End.

Tell me what you think, and I may make more. ^^


	2. Chapter 2: The Goodbye

Hey, again guys.

Alright, so I bet you didn't think I'd be done with chapter 2 so quickly, eh? Well, I am. And its also... Drumroll please... Over 2,000 words!

Yep, so whether its good or its bad, this chapter's pretty much twice as long as the last. Hopefully some things that were left unanswered last chapter, will be answered in this one.

Also, before we begin, I would like to thank all the people (Two, count 'em, TWO!) who were kind enough to review my work thus far. I would also like to personally thank Rayshia for being my first reviewer! Thanks again, and hopefully you'll continue to be 'hooked' by the time chapter 2 is over. *Crosses fingers.* And to Bobbinbird, my _second _reviewer, thanks to you as well. As long as the reviews keep comin' I'll keep writin'. ^_^

And, now, without further ado... Yadda yadda... _

Oh, and before I forget: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO...

Enjoy!

* * *

"_Akasuna no Sasori..._

That name, alone, is enough to strike fear into even the strongest of Sunagakure nin hearts. The man has always been remembered through his mastery of the Kagutsu no Jutsu, as well as the diverse selection of puppets he used in combat."

The person speaking is one of twelve elders sitting at a table in the Kazekage's office. There are currently thirteen sitting at the table, however, And only two of them are below the age of thirty.

One is the Kazekage of Sunagakure, as well as the youngest 'elder' ever to join the ranks, sitting all the way at the head of the table. The other is his elder brother, one of the last Puppet ninja in all of the Wind Country, sitting at the opposite end.

"Sir…" The puppeteer speaks up suddenly. He sounds almost bored. "I know quite a lot about Akasuna no Sasori… As a matter of fact, I probably know more of him than you do…" He hesitates, and quickly adds "No offense… But what I'm trying to get at is simple, sir: There's obviously a reason why you called me here… Do you think could we please move on to _that_ topic…?"

Every person at the table looks anxiously around, before they all look at the Kazekage for guidance.

He nods solemnly.

Immediately, the elder nearest the puppeteer brings out a small black box from below the rectangular table. He then gingerly places it into the young man's outstretched hands, next to him.

"What… What is this-?" The young puppet-nin asks, although, he thinks he already has a fairly good idea.

"Open it," One of them remarks, almost casually. "Then read the inscription on the inside."

He does.

"Oh… Oh My God…"

* * *

Kankurou's heart had stopped. What he was holding in his hands was priceless. Priceless, not because its value exceeded that of anything else of its kind… (Ha. Hell, there _was_ nothing else of its kind) … But rather, because no person in their right mind would _touch_ the damn thing, let alone _buy _it.

"Why…" Was all the young puppeteer could manage.

"Kankurou…" It was Gaara. He could tell without having to take his eyes off of… _it_. "We… Think it's a message… From _him_."

"It can't be." One of the elders insisted suddenly, as though they had already argued upon this subject once before. "Akasuna no Sasori is _dead._ We all know he's dead, because Chiyo-baa-sama gave her life to end his."

"Not true." Another jumped in. "Chiyo-baa did _not_ die in the process of destroying Sasori. She died in the process of-"

They all looked at Gaara, who in turn, nodded to show that he knew what they meant.

"In any case," another continued, "who else could have possibly gotten _it, _and then mailed it to Suna, addressed to the only puppet user in all of the city…? It _has _to be His doing"

It was silent for a while. All eyes returned to the young puppet master, still eyeing the prize which sat on the palm of his hand, as though it could disappear at any second.

"Son…" It was another elder. This one was an elder, Kankurou realized, not just in politics, but in age. "Do you have any clue what it could mean…?"

Silence. Longer this time.

"T… There's writing on the inside of the box…." The same elder reminded hesitantly.

The Kazekage of Sunagakure sat there, watching his elder brother with a sort of amazement. He looked almost as if he were deciphering an unknown language, dead for millenniums. _In a way,_ he thought,_ that's_ _exactly what he's doing_. On the inside of the box was a sentence written in something Kankurou called 'the puppeteer code.' It was a type of language early Kabuki artists used to converse to one another. Kankurou had once spent a whole year trying to get the just of the damned thing. Hell, even after three years, he was only able to decipher a sentence at a time.

The puppeteer looked up suddenly, as though he had struck brilliance. His face however, showed Horror. "He… He knows I'm the last puppeteer in all of Suna… hell maybe even in all of the God damned Wind Country." He stopped, then continued "I think… I think he wants me to-"

A loud bang filled the room, and the main office door flew open suddenly.

Silence, once again, filled the room, as a pair of footsteps slowly made its way towards the table sitting directly in the middle.

"He wants you to take his place in the Akatsuki." The unknown intruder said suddenly.

Gasps filled the air in the office immediately. What the man had just said seemed to have a taboo effect on the elders, and in turn, they all began talking at once.

_"Burn it! Burn the damn thing! His soul lives on inside it!"_

_"No, don't just burn it! Bury it as well! In the sound village!"_

_"Burn it, smash it, and then bury the pieces all over the fire and water countries!"_

As the elders argued loudly, the young puppeteer noted that the man who had intruded was still there in the room. Curiosity eventually got the better of him, and he looked up.

What he saw only surprised and confused him further.

"E-Ebizu-jii-san…?!"

The retired elder looked tired and worn, as if the trip from his home to the Kazekage's mansion had taken every ounce of strength from him. Despite all this, Kankurou realized, he was still able to smile at the youngster's confused face.

"Kankurou…" the retired said slowly… Tiredly. "What you have there…" He nodded toward _it_. "You know what it is… What it _means,_ do you not?"

The younger puppeteer looked down again. After a second, he nodded solemnly.

"I… I think so…" He looked up, a mixture of hurt and yearning in his face. "But why?! Why would he want _me _to take his position…?! He told me himself I was purely amateur…" He looked away, fearing his eyes would begin to leak, and continued, "Shit… If… If only I could ask him… If only I could finally get closure, I could finally move on with my life… But now that he's dead... Its impossible..."

Ebizu stepped back from the table suddenly. Kankurou noted that his face was painted with anger, and that the anger was pointed at the other elders around them. "Kankurou…" He said slolemnly. "I think the elders have something to tell you."

The other elders whispered to themselves silently, and then one stood up.

"A… Akasuna no Sasori…." He choked on his words, as if even saying his name would bring death.

"… He… is not dead…" Then: "Not entirely."

No one spoke, until suddenly one of the youths at the table stood up, rage brewing inside of him.

"_WHAT?!"_

It was the Kazekage, and he looked furious.

"Why... Why have I not been informed about this?!"

Silence.

"Well?!"

One of the elders stood up, whimpering. "Your highness…" He looked as though he would faint at any moment. "At the time we had figured out Sasori was alive… We had thought… Well… We had thought that _you _were dead."

The Kazekage shook his head violently. "That does not excuse the fact that even after I came back, no one spoke a word about this to me!"

The elders could not come up with an excuse, it seemed.

Suddenly, the young puppeteer stood up as well. His face was glazed with a sort of senseless panic.

"Wait…!" The youth's eyes seemed to dart nervously from left to right."If… If he's not dead… Where the hell is he-?!"

Ebizu looked from the elders, to the younger puppeteer, then back to the elders. "Well…?" He asked, expectantly.

When no one said anything, Ebizu sighed. "Fine… I'll tell him."

Kankurou looked confused. "Tell me what…? All I want to know is-"

"He's in the village of the sound." An elder spoke up suddenly. Kankurou's face snapped to the one who had just spoke. An icy cold glare made its way into the elder's soul, and he looked away quickly.

"He's right, Kankurou. The Sound village was found at the wreckage of the fight between Chiyo and Sasori... When questioned, they admitted that they had him locked away..."

When the young Kabuki artist heard it coming from Ebizu, he knew it had to be true. His face filled with hallowness. He wasn't sure whether to be happy to finally be away from the damned man who tried to kill his only brother… Or to be angry. Angry because he would never really rest until he _KNEW_ Akasuna no Sasori- the bastard- was dead and buried in the cold, barren ground.

Gaara seemed to be able to read his mind, and he sighed. Kankurou studied his face silently, and realized he looked twice his age, and at the same time still his little brother. He spoke only five words, but the maturity in his voice made Kankurou's heart swell with a mixture of pride and disbelief.

"I can't come with you." His voiced sounded almost as tired as Ebizu-jii, but it also sounded strong, as though he knew the time would come when he would have to let his brother go and follow his own destiny.

The puppeteer stood suddenly, and turned away, as if that was all he needed to hear.

"W… Wait!" One of the elders began, but Ebizu quickly shushed him.

"He knows what he must do…." He looked towards Gaara and nodded. They both seemed to share a common knowledge, the others could never hope to understand.

"_The Puppeteer's Destiny."_ They both said at once.

* * *

Kankurou silently left the room, realizing how much he had taken his life for granted. As he shut the door to the Kazekage office, he quietly let his 'prize' fall into his pocket.

_Akasuna No Sasori's Akatsuki ring…_

* * *

Kankurou rounded the hall, and came to the debriefing room. As he reached for the handle, someone gripped his right shoulder, suddenly. Hard. The person proceeded to flip him around, almost hard enough to jerk his shoulder off.

"D-Damnit Kankurou!!"

It was Temari… And was it just him, or did she have tears in her eyes?

"WHY?!" She realized her eyes were leaking, and quickly wiped her tears away. She continued. "Why did you agree to go on a dangerous mission in the Sound?!"

"Temari… I… I need to do this… I _need_ to let the past be the past…"

She gripped him harder, as though he would fly away the moment she let go.

"But why… Why does it have to be like _this?!_"

"There's no other way." He said calmly. "I have to-"

She looked up suddenly, as if she had come up with an idea that had been under her nose the whole time.

"I'll go with you!" She said quickly, "That way I can… Can make sure you don't do anything stupid!"

He shook his head sadly.

"You can't, Temari… Gaara said you had a mission to complete… A very _important_ one."

She grimaced, and continued to grip him.

"Temari…" He said calmly. "… Nii-san…"

Her eyes widened, and tears began welling up inside them.

"Did… Did you just call me-…?"

He nodded, and solemnly reached up and put his hand upon hers. He proceeded to slowly take it off his shoulder, and then he did something he hadn't done since he was but a child.

He hugged his sister.

"Goodbye Nii-san… If… If I don't come back… Tell Gaara I've always loved him… And you."

He let go of his embrace, and silently disappeared into the debriefing room.

Temari watched as he, her only middle brother, opened the door and stepped into his destiny.

* * *

"Ah, Kankurou. You're here."

Baki was sitting behind a desk at the front of the room, as if expecting him.

"So… Gaara told me all about it."

The young puppeteer nodded, and proceeded to sit down in a nearby seat.

"Well… Since this whole thing is very last minute… And since this isn't exactly much of a mission per say… The debriefing will be quick."

He opened a letter that was lying on the desk in front of him.

"This is from the Hokage of Konoha:" He began reading aloud.

"'_We, the people of Konohagakure, greatly thank you, the citizens of Sunagakure, for the assistance of our people against the Sound. We would gladly accept your treaty for peace, and eagerly await the joining forces of the Fire Country and the Wind Country.'_"

He stopped reading and looked up, making sure his ex-pupil was still awake.

"Er… Okay… But what does this have to do with-"

He continued on:

"'_And in return for your great deed and assistance in our time of need, I, the Hokage of this great village, hereby grant you, the Kazekage of Sunagakure, one favor to be called upon whenever YOUR time of need is at hand._

_Sincerely, Tsunade. (Hokage if Konohagakure)'"_

Kankurou frowned.

"Wait… So you're going to use that free favor… For _me_?!"

Baki studied him for a second, before nodding solemnly.

"In a way… Yes."

"No. No, I can't accept this… Sunagakure will undoubtedly fall upon turmoil in the distant future, and this may be the one thing that could get us out of it… I can't-"

"Gaara insists, Kankurou."

The young artist stopped mid sentence.

"Gaara…?" He was silent for a moment. Then: "Alright… What's the plan."

Baki yawned, and then stood up lazily.

"Well… Technically there is none… You go into Konoha, gather a team of two- _Only two_, since that's the most Konoha can lend as of now, without becoming too short handed- proceed _through _the Fire Country, and then fight your way into the Sound village. You'll have to get the location of Sasori yourself… Perhaps through torture, as that _is _one of your specialties."

Kankurou smirked, and nodded.

"Heh. It's definitely going to be easier said than done… But I know you can do it Kankurou… I've never ceased to be amazed at what you three have accomplished in life… I never would have guessed Gaara would become the Kazekage… Temari, Sunagakure's finest ambassador… And you, Kankurou. The greatest leader Sunagakure's army has ever witnessed. "

He solemnly looked down.

"I… I'm proud of you."

A hand suddenly touched his right shoulder.

"I won't let you down, Baki…" Hesitation, then: "… Sensei…"

He grinned, and nodded.

"Heh… When was the last time you called me that…?" He wandered aloud.

But it was too late. His ex-pupil was already out the door, and headed towards the mission that awaited him on the outside.

Both Ebizu and Gaara had called it something like '_The puppeteer's destiny_,' and he supposed that was a rather accurate name for all this… But, as he slowly sat back down behind his desk, he realized that he would not be there to make sure Kankurou, _his_ pupil, stayed safe. All he could do, now, was pray for the best, and hope Kankurou chose the _right _destiny.

* * *

Well, that's all for today.

I'm thinking of updating this thing every week or so, (Unless I get lazy, xD) so make sure to keep checking back.

Also: As you may have noticed, I hinted to a team Kankurou would have to put together. I'm thinking of making one of the three someone he's quite familiar with, and with whom he's had a run in with once before. Hint, hint. If you think you know who I mean, don't say anything, as that may ruin the whole next chapter. xD But if you have any ideas as to who the other person should be, let me hear your ideas, and why it should be him/her.

Anyway, that's it for the second chapter.

Later. ^^


End file.
